SATIRE AND SATIRICAL DEVICES



SATIRE: _____________________________________________________________

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|SATIRICAL DEVICES | |

|The satirist uses these devices to evoke laughter from the audience; | |

|however, just because you see one of these devices being used does not mean| |

|you are seeing an example of satire. | |

|1.  Sarcasm—a sharply mocking or contemptuous remark.  The term came from | |

|the Greek word “sarkazein” which means “to tear flesh.” | |

|2. Irony—the actual intent is expressed in words which carry the opposite | |

|meaning.  It is lighter, less harsh in wording than sarcasm, though more | |

|cutting because of its indirectness.  Irony speaks words of praise to imply| |

|blame and words of blame to imply praise.  Writer is using a | |

|tongue-in-cheek style.  | |

|A.  Verbal Irony—when someone means the opposite of what he or she says. | |

|This differs from sarcasm in that it is less biting or harsh. | |

|B.  Dramatic Irony—when the words or acts of a character carry a meaning | |

|unperceived by himself but understood by the audience. The irony resides in| |

|the contrast between the meaning intended by the speaker and the added | |

|significance seen by others. | |

|C.  Situational Irony—when a situation produces a discrepancy between | |

|purpose and results (e.g., a practical joke that backfires). | |

|3. Hyperbole / Exaggeration —to enlarge, increase, or represent something | |

|beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be | |

|seen. | |

|4. Caricature—the exaggeration of a physical feature or trait. Cartoons, | |

|especially political cartoons, provide extensive examples of caricature. | |

|5. Parody—to imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or | |

|thing in order to ridicule the original. For parody to be successful, the | |

|reader must know the original text that is being ridiculed. | |

|6. Absurdity—to present things that are out of place or are absurd in | |

|relation to their surroundings. | |

| | |

|7. Reversal—to present the opposite of the normal order. Reversal can focus| |

|on the order of events, such as serving dessert before the main dish or | |

|having breakfast for dinner. Additionally, reversal can focus on | |

|hierarchical order—for instance, when a young child makes all the decisions| |

|for a family or when an administrative assistant dictates what the company | |

|president decides and does. | |

|8.  Farce—exciting laughter through exaggerated, improbable situations; | |

|usually contains low comedy:  quarreling, fighting, and coarse with, | |

|horseplay, noisy singing, boisterous conduct, trickery, clownishness, | |

|drunkenness, slap-stick. | |

|9.  Invective—harsh, abusive language directed against a person or cause.  | |

|Invective is a vehicle, a tool of anger.  Invective is the bitterest of all| |

|satire. | |

|10.  Malapropism—a deliberate mispronunciation of a name or term with the | |

|intent of poking fun. | |

Satirical Styles: Jot notes on the satirical styles of the following satirists.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone: Sacha Baron Cohen:

Jon Stewart: Stephen Colbert:

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